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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cold — an illness
  5. present — a gift
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — humankind
  8. present — there
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. present — the time now
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mug — a face
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. race — a contest
  21. current — of water
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. race — the arms race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com